


Love Is Patient: Love Is Kind

by Ohlookitstomorrow



Series: TWW Winter Fluff Event [18]
Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017), The Worst Witch - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Prompt - Hot-tub, Written for the WW2018WinterFluffEvent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 21:27:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17108429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ohlookitstomorrow/pseuds/Ohlookitstomorrow
Summary: They'd rented a log cabin in the countryside for the festive season, but despite the isolation of the setting, Hecate struggled to take Pippa's hand.





	Love Is Patient: Love Is Kind

_She says I smell like safety and home_  
I named both of her eyes forever and please don’t go  
I could be a morning sunrise all the time, all the time yeah  
This could be good, this could be good

* * *

* * *

"Come on, Hiccup, don't be a spoil-sport!"

Hecate watched from the safety of the doorway as Pippa splashed in the bubbling water like a child. They'd rented an isolated log-cabin for the festive season - all Pippa's idea - and only an hour into their arrival, Pippa was trying to entice her lover into the luxurious warmth of an elevated hot-tub.

It wasn't the cold, or triviality, that prevented Hecate from venturing further, it was the newness of the situation. Affection was not something that came easy for Hecate Hardbroom, and it had taken her almost thirty years for her to show any towards the woman she loved. Their teasing touches, slow kisses, and whispers of love had come to mean so much, and Hecate was proud to say she felt comfortable with Pippa when in the wrappings of privacy. 

In their private rooms, whether it be Cackles or Pentangles, Hecate worshipped and was worshipped in return, without any hint of embarrassment. But, when Pippa tried to hold her hand as they walked in the garden, or sneak a kiss, Hecate clammed up - public displays of affection frightened her needlessly.

It had broken her heart the first time she'd withdrawn her hand from Pippa's as they strolled, the look of unadulterated hurt that crossed beautiful features was too much to handle. Hecate crumbled, tears rolling down her cheeks as she tried to explain her hesitancies. The last thing she ever wanted was for Pippa to think she was ashamed of her or of what they shared: their love was sacred.

Hecate had hidden her true self away for many years, forced to wear a mask by the weight of her family name. Growing up, all forms of physical affection were taboo - Hecate was never kissed goodnight, or hugged when she cried. When she started school, Hecate was confused at the behaviors of her peers, a friendly hug or kiss on the cheek were commonplace, and yet, Hecate could hardly tolerate someone sitting beside her. 

In early adulthood, Hecate heard the phrase 'if you deny someone something repeatedly, they will only want it more' - they were words Hecate could agree with 100%!

When she was paired with Pippa Pentangle in her first ever potions class, Hecate felt an unfamiliar pull. Pippa was everything she was not; cheerful, enthusiastic, funny, open, beautiful, and unlike the other girls in their class, Pippa was kind. She never called Hecate weird or strange, she never tripped Hecate in the corridors or stole her books. When Pippa saw her, she always offered Hecate a perfect smile that lit her eyes like warm honey.

Friends, her Father had warned, will only drag you down - a Hardbroom needs no one but himself. But for the first time in her life, Hecate wanted a friend, she didn't care about the consequences. Pippa could never be anything but uplifting, she was the only witch in the whole school who could match Hecate's grades - even trouncing Hecate in chanting. So, throwing caution to the wind, and ignoring everything she was ever taught, Hecate took what she wanted and became Pippa's friend.

But as the years wore on, the want Hecate had felt for Pippa, started to grow, deeper and deeper. She often watched Pippa with her other friends, plaiting each other's hair or doing their make-up, and for the first time, Hecate wished that was her. 

It got worse when it was Pippa's boyfriend - Hecate caught them kissing one night, as Pippa snuck back into the school after going on a date, and for the first time in her life, Hecate wished that were her.

She could picture the look of disgust that would cross her Father's face if he ever found out his Daughter was in love with another witch. She couldn't place that burden on Pippa, so Hecate ran and ignored the greatest want she'd ever had. 

But, her self-denial only served as fuel for her longing.

Not until she was approaching fifty, and her Father long dead, did Hecate finally follow her heart and rejoined the other half of her soul.

Hecate had wished to touch Pippa, and now she could. Hecate had wished to kiss Pippa, and now she could. But Hecate could not forget the conditions that had been drummed into her throughout her life. Every time Pippa tried to show affection in Public, Hecate still expected to see the look of disgust on everyone's face.

Even here, in the rural calm of the countryside, Hecate feared what others would think - she didn't want Pippa to face the prejudice that had followed Hecate from the day she was born.

She watched as her lover glowed from the heat of the water, looking at Hecate with a plea, "darling, you're beautiful, you don't have to hide from me." Pippa stood in the water, gloriously nude, and held out a hand. "Hiccup, please, I want you to join me?"

Slowly, very slowly, Pippa had helped Hecate unravel the chains that had bound her, and for the first time in her life, Hecate didn't have to wish, she was finally free. 

As she walked toward the woman she loved, Hecate allowed the fluffy, white robe to fall from her body, leaving the pale expanse of her skin to glint in the in the spotlights that highlighted her path. Stepping into the water, and into Pippa's arms, Hecate felt complete.

Hecate and Pippa were as different as the moon and the sun, but love was patient, and love was kind.

**Author's Note:**

> I am so in love with Hecate Hardbroom, okay!
> 
> You can find me on:
> 
> Tumblr @ohlookitstomorrowff  
> Instagram @ohlookitstomorrow
> 
> Catch:)


End file.
